India rules out talks with Pakistan after Nagrota

New Delhi, Dec 1 (IANS) India on Thursday ruled out any talks with Pakistan, saying it took “very seriously” the killing of seven soldiers in the Tuesday terror attack on a military base near Jammu and “will do what it feels is required for our national security”.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said the cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan cannot be taken as the new normal and asked Islamabad to stop using terrorism as an instrument of its foreign policy.

“We are awaiting detailed information on the specifics of the Nagrota attack before we decide on the next steps. But I do wish to emphasise that the government takes this incident very seriously,” Swarup said.

The remarks came two days after militants disguised as policemen stormed the military base in Nagrota, some 15 km from Jammu. The 14-hour gunbattle between the suicide bombers and army men left seven soldiers and all attackers dead.

Swarup blamed Pakistan for the attack. “As you all know, Pakistan is a country which has a long record of carrying out cross border terrorism as an instrument of state policy.”

He said India over the years has suffered many “heinous terrorist attacks which have been supported and sponsored by Pakistan”.

“It is evident that it is not a matter of a week or a month. It is in fact a challenge that we have faced over many years, indeed over many decades.”

He ruled out any possibility of resuming peace talks with the neighbouring country and said: “We will never accept continued cross border terror as the new normal. Pakistan must stop terror and then we can talk.”

The spokesperson said the September 29 surgical strikes by the Indian Army, which destroyed seven terror launch pads and killed an unspecified number of terrorists and sympathisers, had been effective because it thwarted a major terror plot.

“Terrorists were ready to infiltrate to carry out terrorist activities on our side. This imminent threat was successfully neutralized through the surgical strikes. We should not look only at what happened but also at what did not happen, what was prevented through successful neutralization of terrorists.”